[QUOTE=ptdebate][QUOTE=Oltobaz]Nintendo system and game updates exist, yet are much, much less frequent than Sony's and Microsoft's. Fact.[/QUOTE]

Can't argue with that. As Nintendo's consoles become more and more like the competition, though, that's increasingly less true. It took about an hour to set up my niece's Wii U before she could actually start playing Mario Kart 8. The updates (both system and title) loaded directly from the disk so there was no need to connect her console to the internet, but that didn't keep them from taking forever.

I think the point Vexer is trying to make is the very valid one that in countries with more developed net infrastructure (read: the rest of the developed world), downloads take far, far less time. In South Korea, where 1Gbps ethernet is widely available for a low cost, several gigabytes of updates might actually only take a minute or less.

Finally, 7th-gen consoles have evolved to include an auto-update feature that eliminates the pain of updates in all but a few circumstances (like first-time setup and updates that happen to release while you're playing a title). If you're still getting interrupted by updates on a regular basis, chances are that the auto update feature hasn't been set up yet. If you intend to use your console without connecting to the internet, or don't have access to an internet connection, you may run into situations where you can no longer play newly-released games which take advantage of new OS features (like DX12 and custom CPU allocation on Microsoft's console). That should definitely figure into the value proposition of 8th-generation consoles and inform your buying decisions.[/QUOTE]

I haven't been in the US in a really long while, is your Internet that slow? Damn, that sucks.Patches are usually considered an issue in gaming circles over in France and, I'm guessing,Europe as a whole as well, but it's not brought up all the time, presumably due to the fasterinternet. Big games still take a while though, and servers eventually going down the drain is everybit the same issue it is in the States, if you consider yourself a collector. As for Nintendo going the updateroute, they're catching up with the times, to this day however, their late 2012 Wii U system hasn't beensubject to that many updates compared to the competition. Would you believe Sony 's PSP received an update in February this year (or was it January?). As succesful as it's been ( still is!) in Japan, that's kind of crazy.

Yeah, Nintendo is catching up with the times, however reluctanctly. They were the first to promote the conceptof games being playable even while updating. Their approach is more consumer friendly in that sense, and I suspect they'll always strive to maintain this take as part of their identity.

It's really bad, Olto. The fastest connection I have available in my area is 18Mbps. The lower threshold for "high speed internet" as defined by our very own FCC is 24Mbps. I live in the largest city in my state.

I think it's pretty ridiculous to deflect blame from game companies over the outrageously long updates because the US has slower internet than the rest of the world. Does the US have bad internet? Yes. But the US is their biggest market! If they didn't translate their games to English we wouldn't defend them because the US spoke English and other countries didn't.

The fact is game companies need to make a good user experience for their customers within the bounds of current technology, and they aren't.

[QUOTE=a]I think it's pretty ridiculous to deflect blame from game companies over the outrageously long updates because the US has slower internet than the rest of the world. Does the US have bad internet? Yes. But the US is their biggest market! If they didn't translate their games to English we wouldn't defend them because the US spoke English and other countries didn't. The fact is game companies need to make a good user experience for their customers within the bounds of current technology, and they aren't.[/QUOTE]

That is definitely true.

I would argue, however, that console makers are doing a good job of addressing the experience of updating specifically, the length of which is mitigated by the auto-update feature that is now available on all current consoles. With this feature enabled, you rarely have to actually see updates.

Well the thing is there's really nothing game companies can do to make their game patches download faster, that's just something that's completely out of their control, and I think for the most part they have been giving good user experiences, at least from my experiences.

Well the thing is there's really nothing game companies can do to make their game patches download faster...

[/QUOTE]

Except by minimizing their size and frequency, something that isn't happening today on the Xbox One and the Playstation 4 where huge patches on day 1 and in the months ahead have become commonplace for major releases.

That's the point that they've been trying to make to you. And it's an entirely valid one at that. Too many developers and publishers are using it as a crutch these days to ship products out prematurely.

After it releases, Twilight Princess will have been on the last three generations of Nintendo console hardware. And despite that, I can't wait to see how this one turns out in HD. I hope Skyward Sword HD completes the collection on the NX someday.

After it releases, Twilight Princess will have been on the last three generations of Nintendo console hardware. And despite that, I can't wait to see how this one turns out in HD. I hope Skyward Sword HD completes the collection on the NX someday.

I pre-ordered TP on Amazon yesterday. Super excited to see how it turns out, just need to buy a WiiU now I may bight on Skyward Sword if they did away with the motion controls. I really hated those, and it killed the game for me. I gave up half way through because I was tired of swinging my arms around.

After it releases, Twilight Princess will have been on the last three generations of Nintendo console hardware. And despite that, I can't wait to see how this one turns out in HD. I hope Skyward Sword HD completes the collection on the NX someday.

I pre-ordered TP on Amazon yesterday. Super excited to see how it turns out, just need to buy a WiiU now I may bight on Skyward Sword if they did away with the motion controls. I really hated those, and it killed the game for me. I gave up half way through because I was tired of swinging my arms around.

That's too bad you couldn't stick with Skyward Sword. It is better than Twilight Princess in just about every way. That's my opinion anyway. I find Twilight Princess to be the weakest Zelda and most disagree.